BECOMING A CULT?
MANILA, JANUARY 12, 2012
(STANDARD) President Benigno Aquino III went on television
the other day to announce a supposed bombing plot by terror groups who want to
disrupt the procession of the Black Nazarene and sow terror among the populace.
What alarmed me was not the announcement per se, but the personalities who stood
behind the President while he was on air—the Defense Secretary, the National
Security Adviser, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, the Executive Secretary, the
Interior and Local Government Secretary, the Justice Secretary, and the Chief of
the Philippine National Police.
I thought the President would be announcing something else.
I share the fears of my colleague, Federico Pascual, whose column appears in
another newspaper.
I don't know what Malacañang is up to. What I do know is that a terror threat
on a religious procession should not have been made by the President. It would
only enhance the notion that Islamic terrorists pose a clear and present danger
to the nation.
Santa Banana, that's precisely what terrorism is all about—to sow terror
among the populace!
***
Religious fervor is one thing, but idolatry and fanaticism are another. I'm
referring to the millions of Black Nazarene devotees who, despite claims that
there was a terror threat, went on their bare feet and jostled against each
other just to touch the image of the Black Nazarene, which many say has healing
powers.
The number of devotees gets higher every year. Many get hurt or faint because
of the heat.
I'm not disputing the claim that image of the Black Nazarene has miraculous
powers. Devotion to Christ, like prayer, can move mountains. Look at how many
miracles have been attributed to Our Lady of Lourdes in France. As we all know,
miracles happen every day even if we are not aware of them.
What I'm wondering about is why the Catholic Church, particularly in Metro
Manila, allow and even tolerate such religious fervor.
I know what I am saying can be unpopular to the millions of Black Nazarene
devotees. But God does not want people to get hurt or even killed in a religious
procession.
The Archbishop of Manila should draw the line. This is fast becoming a cult,
distorting the true meaning of faith in God!
***
My gulay, all these allegations of Supreme Court justices owning plush
condominium units are going from bad to worse. Now it is Senior Associate
Justice Antonio Carpio who has been reported to own an 800-square-meter
penthouse unit cum swimming pool.
For one thing, that piece of property could not be within the vicinity of 800
square meters. That would include not only an entire floor of a building, but
even other floors. More importantly, Tony Carpio can afford it. His mother's
family—the Tirols—owned at one time and even now vast tracts of land in Boracay
island. Besides, I am told that he bought the condo before he became Supreme
Court justice. Being a co-founder of the CVC Law firm, known as "The Firm,"
Carpio certainly can afford to buy one.
I don't know who furnished the newspapers the news about Carpio's
condominium. It must be one of the many competitors of The Firm or somebody who
is envious of The Firm's alleged influence. As we all know, at one time, The
Firm was the lawyer of the past President and the former first gentleman. Or, it
must have come from some sectors who don't want to see Carpio become Chief
Justice, if and when Renato Corona is convicted.
***
Malacañang claims that the Senate rules do not prohibit it from going public
in connection with the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona. The
Senate rules include only the prosecution and the defense teams.
Malacañang is dead wrong. Since we all know that it was behind the
impeachment signed by its lapdogs in the House of Representatives with undue
haste and without verification as mandated by the Constitution, the Palace
definitely falls within the prohibition.
Thus, for the spokespersons of Malacañang to say that they are not included,
and thus can comment on Articles of Impeachment anytime they want to, simply
doesn't wash. To be frank about it, the President is as much a prosecutor in the
Corona trial as the House prosecutors are.
Let's just leave the Senate to conduct the trial come January 16.
***
The association of retired flag officers of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines came out in defense of retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan. They say
Palparan is being crucified in the bar of public opinion as a "butcher"
(berdugo) and responsible for the disappearances of activists and militants.
That sentiment is shared by many, especially among junior officers, in the AFP.
These are the junior officers who are in the battlefield against the enemies
of the state, particularly the New People'sArmy and the insurgents. They are the
ones who get killed by the communist insurgents and their sympathizers.
The military knows that the National Democratic Front, the Communist Party of
the Philippines, the NPAs and their allies in Congress somehow succeeded in
profiling Palparan as their enemy because of his many successes in fighting the
enemies of the state in the counter-insurgency movement.
I'm not predicting it, but if ever there is a destabilization plot against
the government, it will be because of what the Aquino administration is doing to
Palparan.
The junior officers of the AFP may not be saying it, but, they know that the
Aquino administration seems to be partial and sympathetic to the enemies of the
state, who themselves have committed abuses and even killed innocent civilians,
violated human rights and have gotten away with them. The sad part of it is that
even media seems to now be sympathizing with the enemies of the state.
***
Malacañang is so fixated about scams and scandals during the nine-year Arroyo
administration. But, what about scams and scandals during the year and half of
the Aquino administration?
The missing 1,190 Customs containers, for one. Up to now, no one knows where
they are, who were responsible for it, and who benefited from it.
Now, there's the P100 million scam at Philhealth where some of its officers
stole from members more than P100 million. What is Malacañang doing about it, if
it is in fact doing anything?
Likewise, there's this Commission on Audit report on the P21 billion CCT or
Conditional Cash Transfer, a program of the Aquino administration lifted from
the Arroyo administration. It's a fancy name for dole given to the poor who meet
certain conditions.
The COA says that billions of pesos are not going to the real beneficiaries,
but to illegal gambling, usury and to the trafficking of illegal drugs. And to
think that Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman now has P39
billion under the 2012 budget. Santa Banana, this is not only a scam, but
larceny of the highest order. The President is not doing anything about it.
Incidentally, there are also reports that some people around Soliman are
making a small fortune out of the CCT with their sticky fingers. My gulay, is
the Department of Social Welfare now graft-ridden?
***
Minority congressmen are not doing themselves any good by quarreling over
turf, and especially with reports that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
is involved. The only ones enjoying the show are the majority congressmen and
Malacañang with Reps. Edcel Lagman and Danny Suarez fighting it out in public on
who will be minority leader.
Not only has the minority become useless. The quarrel shows that there is
nobody leading the minority right now.
***
There are now two combinations being formed for the 2016 presidency.
They are the Vice President Jojo Binay-Senate President Pro-tempore Jinggoy
Estrada team, and the Nacionalista Party team of Sen. Bongbong Marcos and Sen.
Alan Peter Cayetano.
The minority camp is also said to be building up Sen. Bong Revilla for the
presidency. Who's the running mate? That is a still a question mark.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
phno-digest@yahoogroups.com
phno-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
